02/06/2013

Wednesday Bento #12 ::: idée de Boite à lunch

My boys love Japanese style fried chicken more than anything. I usually use a recipe I found in Japan, but since i've been reading "Just One Cookbook's" blog, I wanted to try Nami's garlicky fried chicken ... and wow - it's delicious! I love garlic so this was a plus!

Here is the recipe and today's Bento Lunch I made for my boys. I added shredded cabbage and carrots as a little side salad with baby corn fried in butter ... I know ... but it tastes so much better!

As well, add a slice of lemon to sprinkle on the chicken - it adds a nice subtle flavour.

Here is the basic Fried Chicken (Karaage) recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

Boneless chicken thighs

3 tbsp potato starch or cornstarch

2 tbsp white flouw

sunflower or vegetable oil for deep frying

For MARINADE:

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tbsp sake

1/2 tsp crushed garlic

salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Prepare the marinade. Cut the chicken into 1 - 2" pieces. Place them in the marinade and leave to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes.

2. Lightly mix the cornstarch and flour and then take each piece of chicken and dust with the mixture.

3. Heat the oil for frying. When the oil is hot enough, deep-fry the chicken pieces for 4 - 5 minutes until crisp and cooked well through. To maintaint the oil temperature, do not add too many chicken pieces at once. It is advisable to cut open a chicken piece to make sure it is well cooked. Drain cooked chicken on paper towel to remove excess oil.

4. Serve the deep fried chicken with a slice of lemon. Hot or cold, this fried chicken is delicious. Another cookbook recommends wrapping the chicken pieces with lettuce leaves and chilli sauce. This makes for a nice refreshing taste.